Crate and Barrel Gracified

I am always looking for ways to save and still have nice looking items in our home.  But spending $596 on plain wood chairs at Crate and Barrel when I have a whole house to decorate was out of the question.  I liked the look so I decided to create a similar project on a budget.  

Willa Yellow Side Chair $149 each

I started with some dining chairs from Target.  My originals are no longer on the site, but I found some similar ones - posted below.  In total, I spent $198 for 4 chairs.  

Clockwise from top left: Dolce Chair $159.99 for 2, Shaker Chair $99.99 for 2, 

Teat Slat Back Chair $158.99 for 2, Solid Wood Dining Chairs $249.99 for 4

The next step was to make them look more expensive (and also more comfortable).  I saw some cute cushion covers also from Crate and Barrel but I am not a fan of the tie ons.  Instead, I decided to add custom permanent cushions to my chairs.  I went to Joanns for some inspiration and found some beautiful fabric I decided to use on the cushions.  I also purchased some foam and fabric glue.  In total, I spent $59.98 on 2.5 yards of fabric, $20.16 (with 40% off coupon) on 2 yards 1 inch heavy duty foam, and $3.99 on fabric glue. 

Village Stripe Chair Cushion $24.95

Waverly Home Decor Fabric $23.99 per yard

First I traced the chair bases on the foam and then cut out the shapes (do this before assembling the chairs).  Then I glued the foam to the top of the chair base.  I cut the fabric in squares matching the dimensions of the chair bases and staplegunned it tightly underneath over the foam.  Since I was unable to now screw in the chairs because the fabric was in the way, I used Gorilla wood glue to attach them to the legs.  They ended up staying in place very well. The end result:

All in all I spent $282.13 - a savings of $413 over the $695 I would have spent at Crate & Barrel.